By Eddie Broussard
What seemingly insurmountable problems do you face? How are you responding to them?
As followers of Christ, we are invited to lean into impossible problems by leaning on Jesus. We’re called to live with bold faith. This focus on living by faith has led many Navigators to pray John 11:40. “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’”
During our 2017 International Forum in Malaysia, I had the honor of hearing many stories about Navigators around the world who are living and working among the lost with bold faith. These men and women, in the face of seemingly insurmountable barriers, have pressed onward in faith to advance the Gospel. And they have seen God act in remarkable ways. Here are two examples.
In Guatemala, most university students must work while going to school in order to pay their living expenses. This makes it difficult for Navigators to sustain student leaders on campus, which in turn makes it harder to operate thriving campus ministries. And without strong ministries at Guatemala’s universities, the generational aspects of the Navigator work can suffer.
Navigator laborer Luis Tejeda knew many student-leaders who had a passion for ministry but who lacked the time and bandwidth to serve more effectively. So, he and others began to pray boldly for a solution. How could campus student-leaders manage course work, make a living, and minister to other students?
In time, God provided what was needed in an unexpected way. Luis realized that if other Navigators in Guatemala City could contribute the funding, the ministry could pay the student-leaders to disciple people on campus rather than work elsewhere. Although paying students to lead ministry was a new idea, they realized it was a new idea from God. Through the eyes of bold faith they saw a solution that the eyes of the flesh did not see. This solution would enable the students to invest more time in relationships with their peers. The idea was well-received by Navigators around the city, and they generously contributed to the effort.
Today, two student-leaders are actively ministering among non-believing friends. Not only has this helped to raise a new generation of young people, it has also helped those who graduate to stay in Navigator post-college disciple-making communities as they enter professional life.
Another example is a Navigator woman in our Asia-Pacific region who is serving the homeless, alcoholics, and drug addicts. Through the love of Christ, the homeless people she serves (along with a team) develop a new life off the streets. Drug addicts and alcoholics are given the opportunity to enter rehab. The goal is to help them become self-sufficient, reconciled with their families, and reconciled to God.
Overcoming problems like addiction and poverty stretches her faith and the faith of those she is reaching. But in response to her bold faith God is working miracles. For example, she has been helping a woman named Sarah. Not only has Sarah overcome her drug addiction, she has also become economically self-sufficient through her small business. Most importantly, she worships Jesus now! And her transformation has given her a deep concern for other homeless women. Her faith is reproducing!
As we often saw at the International Forum, many Navigators are experiencing John 11:40—seeing the glory of God—as they face obstacles and hardships in bold faith and perseverance.
How about you? What insurmountable problems are you facing? What might it look like for you to face these obstacles in faith?
Eddie Broussard joined the International Executive Team in May 2015. He became Navigator staff in 1980. In 1992, he joined the CoMission movement, working in the post-Soviet countries. From 1998 to 2014, he served on the U.S. National Leadership Team. Eddie and his wife, Barbie, were married in 1996.
